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November 24, 2024
 

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Patrick St. Michel
Patrick St. Michel is a Tokyo-based writer with a focus on Japanese music. He runs the blog Make Believe Melodies, which has focused on Japanese independent music since 2009. Besides The Japan Times, he also contributes to MTV 81 and The Atlantic.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 19, 2016
KiWi "The Scene of Ordinary" (Self-released)
Producers Azupubschool and Cor!s are both accomplished artists in their own right, having released individual albums and worked on larger J-pop projects in recent years. Together, they create music as KiWi, a project that recently shared an up-tempo dance-pop cut via the Diplo-founded online label Good...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Jun 17, 2016
Sweets for exhausted men arrive just in time for Father's Day
If you waited until the last minute to buy your dad something for Father's Day, Candy Show Time has you covered. Their "Thank You Dad" set of bite-size candies (¥560) features five varieties of sweets complete with father-friendly designs, such as a glass of beer.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Jun 10, 2016
Lawson celebrates 30 years of Kara-age Kun with a special yuzu flavor
Deep-fried kara-age chicken has been a much-loved staple at convenience stores in Japan for decades. One of the longest-running varieties is Lawson's Kara-age Kun, currently celebrating its 30th anniversary.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 3, 2016
Past the scandals and into the songs of 2016 so far
So far this year, most of the media attention paid to the music industry has focused on scandal rather than songwriting.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 3, 2016
Mitsume's long days on the road pay off
Over the past decade, a go-to method for older rock bands to drum up excitement for a tour is the promise of playing a classic album in its entirety. It's a win-win proposition: Fans get to feel nostalgic while the artists themselves can coast by on material they've played countless times before.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Jun 3, 2016
That Japanese Man Yuta uses YouTube to show us what Japan really thinks
Almost every weekend, Yuta Aoki heads to Tokyo's Shibuya Ward armed with a camera, a stabilizer and a microphone. His mission is to find and speak to Japanese people, but they must look happy or, at least, not busy — "I don't want any trouble," he says with a laugh. He's hunting for opinions: "Is 'gaijin'...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Jun 3, 2016
Minimal bean-to-bar chocolate stand opens in Ginza
Since 2014, Japanese chocolatier Minimal has been championing the single-source bean-to-bar movement from its store in Tokyo's Yoyogi-Hachiman neighborhood.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
May 27, 2016
FamilyMart's strawberry frappe is a sweet alternative to a cup of joe
Convenience stores still do a strong trade in their house brand, machine-produced coffee, but some have also started introducing new beverages utilizing the same machines that spit out their cups of joe.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 22, 2016
Katsuhiko Maeda builds a diverse musical arsenal at Virgin Babylon Records
It is surprising to hear Katsuhiko Maeda say one of the unifying traits found on his Virgin Babylon Records releases is "pop." The artists putting out music through the imprint touch on many sounds, from dramatic metal to macabre spoken-word electronica — not exactly radio-friendly fare.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
May 20, 2016
Cozy Corner's new jelly might free you from dessert purgatory
Sweets lovers in Japan are currently in seasonal purgatory: It's not really cold enough for warm desserts and not really hot enough for frozen treats. Confectionery chain Cozy Corner is banking on something new that falls between the two extremes. Its new CoCo Jelly comes in three flavors — peach,...
CULTURE / Music
May 15, 2016
Ayumi Hamasaki takes a note from Beyonce with sudden 'M(a)de In Japan' release
Streaming services remain a fledgling part of the Japanese music industry, but the major players are learning from their Western counterparts. Last week, Avex "surprised" J-pop fans with Ayumi Hamasaki's new album "M(a)de In Japan" (with the "a" being her own distinctive logo) on the label's AWA platform....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 15, 2016
Yoshimi explores his city on 'Tokyo Restricted Area'
One of the classic cliches about Tokyo is that it's a city where the past and the future intermingle, one where ancient shrines sit steps away from neon-soaked shopping districts. Long-running musician Yoshimi Hishida explores this very idea on "Tokyo Restricted Area," but in a way far more abrasive...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
May 13, 2016
Why is Tokyo starting to taste like Portland?
Walking into PDX Taproom, a bar in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward, is like wandering into a condensed, alternate version of Portland, Oregon. Everything from the folk-pop hits playing in the background to the craft beers on tap hail from the Pacific Northwest metropolis.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
May 13, 2016
Pocky goes for the gold with Brazilian Orange-flavored snacks
Let the race for clever marketing tie-ins with the 2016 Rio Olympics begin! Pocky's newest limited-edition variety, celebrates one of Brazil's biggest crops by merging citrus flavor and chocolate. Brazilian Orange (¥162) initially tastes a bit off-putting, the chocolate coating on the outside relies...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 8, 2016
Homecomings craft a catchy and intricate gem with 'Sale of Broken Dreams'
Kyoto four-piece Homecomings excel at capturing the small, sad details of life.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
May 8, 2016
Japan's pop culture movers turn out for Niconico party
You'd think nothing would be a surprise during a kabuki show starring a famous actor and a holographic pop star, but you'd be mistaken.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
May 6, 2016
Mister Donut masters the croissant-muffin hybrid
Although it hasn't nabbed the same headlines as the Cronut, the Cruffin — a croissant-muffin hybrid invented by Australian baker Kate Reid in 2013 — has achieved modest success in the U.S. Bakery chain Mister Donut has brought the fusion food to Japan (thankfully, they left the clunky "Cruffin"...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 1, 2016
DYGL soaks in New York's garage rock and politics
The life Nobuki Akiyama has been living since moving to the greater New York City area in March sounds like a dream come true for any young musician.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Apr 29, 2016
FamilyMart gives a healthy twist to the tiramisu
For those who want to have their cake and eat it too — without feeling guilty — FamilyMart's new soy berry tiramisu is here to help.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Apr 22, 2016
'Black truffle' potato chips aren't as decadent as they claim to be
A certain level of quality is expected when the words "black truffle" and "bistro" get thrown around — even if they appear on packets of chips in a convenience store. Calbee's Bistro Black Truffle Scented Beef flavored Poterich chips (¥152) promise a lot, but fail to deliver anything special. They...
U.S. aircraft carrier returns to Japan carrying navy’s ‘most capable fighter’
U.S. 7th Fleet Commander Vice Adm. Fred Kacher speaks to reporters shortly after the arrival of aircraft carrier USS George Washington at Yokosuka naval base in Kanagawa Prefecture on Friday.
Tokyo police care for lost umbrellas, keys and flying squirrels
An employee at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Lost and Found Center in the Iidabashi area of central Tokyo bags, tags and organizes thousands of items.
After Shohei Ohtani bump, Iwate ironware maker sees brighter future
Kaito Kikuchi's decision to send superstar Shohei Ohtani one of his company's traditional ironware tea kettles has paid off with a surge of interest from general consumers.
Japan approves ¥21.9 trillion stimulus plan
The policy chiefs of the Democratic Party for the People, Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito — Makoto Hamaguchi (left), Itsunori Onodera (center) and Mitsunari Okamoto — shake hands after reaching an agreement on an economic stimulus package on Wednesday.
Woman dies after train collides with car in Tochigi
A Moka Railway train car
Tokyo’s newest three-star chef wants ‘harmony across every detail’
British-born Daniel Calvert earned his third Michelin star last month — a stunning achievement considering his restaurant, Sezanne, has only been open for just over three years.
133-year-old Kyushu railway station remains to be partially preserved
The remains of the original Moji Station in Kitakyushu
After Shohei Ohtani bump, Iwate ironware maker sees brighter future
Kaito Kikuchi's decision to send superstar Shohei Ohtani one of his company's traditional ironware tea kettles has paid off with a surge of interest from general consumers.
Shohei Ohtani wins National League MVP award
Shohei Ohtani celebrates after hitting a three-run home run against the Padres during the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles last month.
The slow-burn success of ‘A Samurai in Time’
A 19th-century warrior gets struck by lightning and wakes to find himself in 21st-century Kyoto in Junichi Yasuda’s surprise hit “A Samurai in Time.”

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?
By Kathryn Wortley

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